Method of making balls



F. T. ROBERTS.

METHOD OF MAKING BALLS.

APPLICATION man JAN. 1, 1918.

1,329,311. Patented Jan.27,1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I. J 4 I F. T. ROBERTS.

METHOD OF MAKING BALLS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 1. 1918.

1 ,329 ,3 1 1, Patented Jan. .27; 1920.

. I /7% /1/27" Ji iPMenzg NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRED THOMAS ROBERTS, OF CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE ARANAR COMPANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OI-IIO.

METHOD or MAKING BALLS.

Specification of-Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 2'7, 1920.

Application filed January 7', 1918. Serial No. 210,655.

. balls of greater resiliency, with consequent increased distance of flight when'the ball is struck.

A further object is toprovide a method adapted to be practised and carried out with the use .of simple and conveniently operable apparatus.

In the manufacture of golf balls of the character having a core, and a winding of elastic material about the core inclosed by a suitable hard rubber 'balata or gut-ta percha cover, it has been the practice-to make the winding about thecore of ela'stic strands wound on the core under tension. :lhis tension serves the purpose of compressing the core and also to render the body of .the winding itself more compact with-a view to obtaining the result, such, that when the ball is subjectedto a sharp blow, the force ofthe blow is transmitted through the cover,

through this winding and to the resilient core, under compression by reason of the winding, thus bringing into play the resiliency of the three elements of the ball. It has been found, however, that such balls are more resilient immediately after winding than they are at a period several hours or a few days after the ball is made. As

the result of experiment, I have found that the reason for this is that the rubber strands wound about the core under tension relax gradually,'r'elieving the compression on the core and the cover. To' overcome this difficulty various expedients have been tried,

such for example 'as' Winding the rubber.

about the core undertension substantially up to the elastic limit of the strand. It has been attempted to maintain the compression by giving the core a hollow center and filling it during the winding or'after winding with elastic fluid under very high pressure. Such a method as the latter is illustrated and described in Patent No. 1,167,396 to J. R.

Gammetengranted January 11, 1916. Thefirst of these methods presents-the difliculty of frequent breaks of "the strands while they are being wound and stilI does not give the desired amount of tension on the core. The second method has the effect of expanding the strands immediately adjacent the core circumferentially andincreasing their tension, but the strands at the outer, portion of the:winding adjacent the co'verare not ex-. panded circumferentially any appreciable amount and are only slightly compressed radially. Furthermore, filling the core with expansible fluid, such as air under very high pressure, makes the ball dangerous and liable to explode when exposed to heat or subjected to an extraordinary blow.

My method, hereinafter described, elimi- To eliminate the above difli'culties and accomplish the result sought, I previously prepare'the rubber band or thread, called ge-' nerically a strand which 'I am to wind on the core by stretching it uniformly substantially to its elastic limit and retaining it in that p'osition' until it relaxes somewhat, assuming a fnew set, so to speak; Ithen stretch'the I strand still further and hold it in'this'post tion-of added tension for a time, whereby it again relaxes by reason of its inherent plasticity. This, operation of alternately stretch:

ass

ing the strand, and giving it 'a period of rest to allow relaxation to take place, may be repeated a number of times, until the tendency of the strand to slacken has been. reduced to a practical minimum. Following the last relaxation, I we'md the strands so treated about an elastic core under a tension substantially equal to that which they had preceding the last relaxation. As the tendency to relax at that tension has been practically exhausted, it follows that, when wound in the ball under the same tension, there Wlll be practically no tendency to, relax. Thus the rubber strands will remainin the ball under the tensionthey had when wound thereinand will not slacken after the'cover is applied. In other words, by my operation,

7 the relaxant property of the rubber strands appears to be eliminated or very much reduced, leaving the extended strand wlth 1ts elastic properties so that when wound ontothe core its tension remains constant until the rubber actually deteriorates, which is of course a very long period compared to the short period of hours during whlch the rubber relaxes when first put under tension.

The form of core which I prefer to use may be that illustrated in my applicatlon No; 186,476, filed'August 16, 1917. Such a core is made hollow and closed in anatmosphere ofhighly compressed air lmprisonmg the air under pressure, which the core itself trate an apparatus for carrying out the proc-- ess. This invention is hereinafter more fully described in connection with the ac- 1 'companying drawings and its essential characteristics are summarized in the claims.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the apparatus for treating the strands before winding them onto the ball; Fig. 2 is a plan of the same; Fig. 3 is a substantially axial section of one of the reels, being along the line 33 of Fig. 2; Fi 4 is a side elevation of the reel illustratef in Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a section similar to Fig. 3 showing the expansible spool in-its distended position; Fig. 6 shows the method of using the reel when winding the band or thread wound thereon onto the core of a ball; Fig. 7

shows the exterior of the winding surround ing the core; Fig. 8 is a similar View illustrating the completed ball with the cover about the winding. Forclearness the apparatus is herein described first and then the process described in detail in the use and operation of the apparatus, it being understood that any suitable apparatus may be employed in performing the rocess.

Descri ing the parts. of the apparatus shown in the drawings, 1 indicates a suitable support from which rise upright bearing members 2 carrying a shaft 3.-

which, it will be noted, tends to contract the band about the flange of the spool. Opposite tlie spool 5 is a corresponding spool 15 of special constructioncarried on a shaft 16 mounted on uprights 17 rising from the support 1. Slidably keyed to this shaft 16 are conoidal collars 20 extending into the spool 15 as shown in Figs. 3 and 5. .The spool comprises an assembled series of sectorshaped members forming a drum portion substantially cylindrical at 22, at each end of which are flange members 23 having edge grooves occupied by rubber bands 24 which retain the sections of the spool in their assembled position, while still allowing them to separate slightly and move radially under the influence of the wedge bearings or cone collars 20 which may be thrust inwardly.

A shaft 16 is provided with a'suitable crank 25 for manually operating the spool 15 whereby a rubber band B may be wound from the spool 6 to the spool 15 under any desirable tension. Guide rolls 27 and 28 the ribbon or band of rubber B progresses from one end of the spool to the other, it may be prevented from turning upon or cross-- ing the next adjacent turn of material.

The rubber band is first wound under normal tension on the spool 5, and the .end of the band B threaded between the rolls'27 and 28 and started to wind upon the spool 15, which winding may be .continued by operating the'crank 25. One or more layers 0 the rubber are wound onto the spool 15 as shown in the drawings. The wedges or cones 20 are thereafter driven inwardly to expand the rubber strands about the spool 15 evenly throughout as they are already under heavy tension given by reason of the brake-band 8 during the first winding process. It is necessary to stretch them equally to avoid breaking, and it is obvious that the device will accomplish this as each of the several sectors will travel outwardly from the shaft 16 an equal distance, expanding the entire spool evenly. The reason for putting onlyone or tw layers of the rubber band onto the spool 15 at a time is that additional layers are not extended evenly or in equal proportion to the inner layer; that is to say, as the inner layer is extended in circumference, each individual turn necessaril becomes thinner and smaller in cross section. Thus the distance between the spool and the next layer is reduced, and is not caused to expand in the same ratio as the inner layer, and the circumferential distance of each turn of the outer layer is not increased as it would be if the inner layer retained its original cross sectional area. If this result is multiplied through several layers it makes such an appreciable difference with the result at the outer layers that it is preferable to operate only on one or two layers at a time. It is for this same reason that the expanding ofthe core of the ball during the winding or after the winding, as previously mentioned does not produce the results accomplished. by this invention. The difference, however,

in the expansion of the inner layers and the outer layers and the relative tension dueto such expansion, is greater on the ball, owing to the interstices between criss-crossing turns and the resulting opportunities of the under tension that the expanding of rubber to flow laterally and fill these interstices Without increasing the resiliency.

The elastic bands 24 expand as the conical wedges are forced into the spool while retaining their position and holding the sectors, comprising the expansible spool, in

their relative positions as shown in the drawings.

Experience has shown that after winding the rubber band onto the expansible spool the spool stretches each strand with but little danger of breaking the strands. The spool may then be removed by withdrawing the shaft 16,.leaving the conical wedges in position and another spool wound and its strands treated in the same fashion by moving similar wedges inwardly of the spool. have found that good results may be ob tained when using ordinary rubber bands by subjecting them to substantially the following treatment. First, winding them onto the expansible spool,- under tension approximating what seems to be the elastic limit of the strand,

then stretching all the strands a little nearer" a period of a few hours, when all the strands may be given additional tension, having relaxed their tension during such interval. After standing for another period of a few hours, the rubber maybe given which requires simply mov-' a still greater tension by moving the wedges inwardly still farther; thus through a series of successive stages the rubber is stretched considerably beyond what would have been the breaking point of the band in its original state. When the strands are thus stretched to their new limit, they exert as great or greater tension than before this treatment; whereupon they may be wound upon the core of the ball at substantially the tension last given them, whereby great circumferential tension tending to compress the ,core is obtained and without liability of' the strands relaxing, consequently insuring the retaining, indefinitely of added resiliency.

Fig. 6 illustrates Winding the rubber band from the spool to the ball. It will be noted that the spool is ex anded, the

wedge 20 being thrust inwar ly substana weight 44, pivoted on the upright 43, may

resist the turning of the spool so that asthe ball is wound to draw the strand B from the spool the proper tension will be obtained and each turn of the strand on the ball will add to the circumferential tension tending to compress its core.

In Fig. 6 the core C of the ball is shown as surrounded by several layers of crisscrossing turns of the band or thread B which is continued until it reaches a size adapted to tightly fit the interior of the cover or casing D of the ball. Fig. 7 illustrates the ball after the winding is comfastenecl. Fig. 8 illustrates the usual cover fitted and vulcanized around the winding .B.

11 carrying out my process in actual practice, as fast as, one or more layers are wound onto the expansible spool the ends of the strand may be suitably fastened as indicated at B Fig. 4, and the spool removed from theshaft (by withdrawing the shaft from its bearings) and set to one side for the proper length of time. Thus the using of asupply of such expansible spools allows the continuous operation of the, winding and stretching and a supply of spools with stretched rubber is thereby obtainable for allowing continuous operation of the winding of the balls.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that I. have provided a method and simple apparatus for carrying out the method of securing a winding of rubber pleted and the end of the strand suitably bands about an elastic core which may protension, when first wound. I have found that this stretching on the spool does not take the life out of the rubber and neither does its impair its resiliency; but, on the contrary, secures greater resiliency in the finished ball. Golf players find that a ball wound'according to this process responds to drives for greater distances than similar balls to which they are accustomed, and that such resiliency is retained for a much longer period of time.

Having thus I claim is: 1. The process of making a golf ball, which consists in Winding a resilient core with stretched rubber strands, previously treated with alternate mechanical stretchings and subsequent relaxations until the final tension exceeds the original elastic limit and then inclosing the same within a suitable cover.

2. The process of making golf balls consisting of stretching a rubber strand substantially to its elastic limit, holding it under tension for a period of time, thereby allowing it to relax, and then stretching it further and winding it upon a resilient core.

3. The process of making a golf ball core consisting of stretching a rubber strand under high tension and holding it under such tension for a period suflicient to allow it'to relax, then subjecting it to additional ten sion and again giving it time to relax, then winding ,it upon a central body under a tension substantially equivalent to that last given it. e

l. The process of makinga golf ball, consisting of winding a rubber strand under high tension onto a stretching device, allowing the strand to relax, thereafter stretching the strand by means of said device, then allowing it to again relax and thereafter winding the strand onto an elastic core while stretching it more than the strand would originally stand.

5. The process of making a golf ball consisting in winding a rubber strand in a thin described my invention, what layer about an expansible member, expanding said member to stretch the strands evenly and allowing the strands to relax through a period of time, then Winding such strand upon an elastic core without re-f laxing such tension, and inclosing the core and winding with a cover tightly fitting over the winding.

I 6; The process of making wound balls, consisting of mechanically stretching a ing the strand onto a core.

it time to relaxfand thereafter winding it under tension into a ball.

7. The process of making rubber wound balls, consisting of stretchin a rubber strand by a mechanically app ied pulling force, allowing the strand to relax, and thereafter winding it onto acore at substantially the tension. it had preceding said relaxation.

8. The process of making balls, consisting of submitting a rubber strand to alternate stretchings and relaxations, and thereafter winding it into a ball.

9. The process of making balls, consisting of submitting a rubber strand to alternate stretchings and relaxations, thereafter winding it into a ball at a tension substantially equivalent to that which it had nextpreceding the last relaxation.

10. The process of making golf balls, consisting of submitting a rubber strand to a plurality of alternate mechanical stretchings and time relaxations and thereafter winding it onto a core, and placing a cover about it,

11. A step in the process of making balls having a strand winding of a stretched material which inherently tends to relax when put under tension, consisting of substantially exhausting the capacity of the strand to relax before it is woundonto the ball. 12. A step in the process of making balls, having a Winding of ruldber strands under tension, consisting of reducing the natural capacity of the stretched rubber strands to relax before they are wound into the ball.

13. In the process of making balls having wound strands under tension, the step of alternately mechanically stretching and resting the strands preceding the winding,

to reduce the relaxant characteristic of the strands. v

14. The process of making balls consistin of Winding rubber strands in a stretche condition onto a temporary holder, allowing a period of time'for the strands to relax, and thereafter winding them ball under tension.

15. The process of making balls, consistinto the ing of stretching a-strand and winding it in this stretched condition onto a temporary holder, allowing a period of rest for the wound strand to relax, and thereafter expanding the holder to stretch'the strand and again allowing it to relax (such stretchingand relaxing being performed one or more times as desired) and thereafter wind- 16. The process of making balls, comprising stretching a strand and winding it in thls stretched condition onto a temporary holder, expanding the holder and thereafter winding the strand onto a ball after the strand has been relaxed.

, 17. The process of making golfhalls,consisting of stretching a rubber strand and winding it in this stretched condition onto an expansible holder, allowing a period of rest for the wound strand to relax, thereafter expanding the holder to stretch the strand and allowing it to relax (such stretching and relaxing bein performed one or more times as desired thereafter winding the strand onto a core with sub 10 stantially the same tension which it had next preceding the last relaxation, and thereafter securing a cover about the wound core.

. In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix 15 my signature.

FRED THOMAS ROBERTS. 

